Today’s games are in Tokyo:
16.00 – Nigeria v. USA
19.30 – Japan v. Germany

Nigeria v. USA – some stats!

The pair’s only previous meeting in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup dates back to the quarter-finals two years ago, when Nigeria edged out USA on penalties after the sides had remained deadlocked at 1-1 following extra time.

Nigeria are contesting their second consecutive semi-final in the FIFA U-20 Women’s Wold Cup, whereas this is USA’s fifth in six participations.

Among the four semi-finalists, Nigeria and USA have scored the fewest goals, netting eight and seven respectively from four matches, while the Americans have also conceded the most goals, with five.

USA are unbeaten against African opposition in FIFA women’s competitions. In eight previous encounters spanning the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament and the U-20 showpiece, the Americans have picked up six wins and two draws, scoring 24 goals and conceding just five.

A total of 18 players have been on the pitch for the maximum possible time of 390 minutes so far this tournament. In addition to six players each from eliminated teams Korea DPR and Mexico, the group includes three Nigerians (Josephine Chukwunonye, Gloria Ofoegbu and Desire Oparanozie) plus three Americans (Bryane Heaberlin, Mollie Pathman and Crystal Dunn).

Japan v. Germany

The teams are going head-to-head for the third time in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having already beaten each other once in the event. Germany edged a 2-1 extra-time victory in the 2002 quarter-finals, whereas Japan won by the same scoreline in the opening round of the 2008 edition.

Germany have won their last 11 games in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, conceding no goals in their last five. Meanwhile Japan are unbeaten in five, having strung together four wins and one draw.

This is the first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup match in which the reigning champions have been pitted against the host team.

This is Japan’s first semi-final in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, whereas Germany have reached the penultimate round for the fifth time in six attempts.

Good luck Young Nadeshiko!

Nigeria v. Mexico (16.00) precedes Japan v. Korea (19.30) at Kokuritsu today as the quarter finals of the Japan 2012 U20 WWC get underway.

Nigeria v. Mexico

The pair have already faced each other in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, drawing 1-1 in the first round two years ago. The player who netted Nigeria’s goal on that occasion, Ebere Orji, is also taking part in this tournament.

Nigeria have reached the last eight for the fifth consecutive time out of a total of six participations. However, the Falconets have only got beyond the quarter-finals once, in 2010, and have a record of one win and one loss in penalty shoot-outs. As for Mexico, this is the second time in a row that Las Aztecas have qualified for the quarter-finals, coming after the 2010 edition when they were knocked out by Korea Republic.

There have been eight previous encounters between CONCACAF and CAF sides in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and CONCACAF have the better record with four wins, three draws and one defeat. The only prior meeting in the knockout phase also happened in the quarter-finals, at the 2010 edition, when Nigeria and USA battled to a 1-1 draw after extra time before the African side clinched victory on penalties.

This is Mexico supremo Leonardo Cuellar’s tenth match as a coach at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. He is the seventh coach in the tournament’s history to have reached double figures and follows in the footsteps of German tactician Maren Meinert, who has overseen 19 matches prior to the quarter-finals, Ian Bridge of Canada and Choe Kwang Sok of Korea DPR (both on 16), Silvia Neid of Germany (12), English coach Mo Marley (11) and Stephane Pilard of France (ten).

All seven of Mexico’s opening-round goals were netted in the second half.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s two matches, Korea DPR and USA have met in the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2008, which culminated in a 2-1 victory to the Americans.

Japan v Korea

This is the first encounter between the two teams in the finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, although they have crossed paths no fewer than five times on the qualification trail. Japan largely dominated in those encounters, recording four wins plus one draw. The sides’ last showdown in October 2011 resulted in a 3-1 win to Japan.

This is the third all-Asian encounter in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. It follows on from Korea DPR’s 5-0 victory over China PR in the 2006 final, and another North Korean win (2-1) in the 2008 quarter-finals against Japan.

Japan have made it into the last eight for the third time, having already done so in 2002 and 2008, whereas Korea Republic have progressed to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive edition.

All four of Korea Republic’s opening-round goals were scored in the second half between the 54th and 82nd minutes.

This is the fourth time that the tournament hosts have advanced to the quarter-finals. Canada and Germany went on to reach the semi-finals in 2002 and 2010 respectively, whereas Russia were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in 2006.

Go Young Nadeshiko – make us proud!

SAITAMA tomorrow August 31st
DPR Korea v. USA 16.00
Germany v. Norway 19.30

North Korea v. USA

The two teams met in the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2008, which culminated in a 2-1 victory to the Americans.

This is Korea DPR’s 20th match in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The East Asians have won their last three games, although they achieved their longest winning streak of six games during their title-winning 2006 campaign.

USA have a positive record against Asian sides in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. In seven encounters they have accrued four wins, two draws and just one defeat, 2-0 at the hands of China PR in the opening round of the 2008 edition.

Korea DPR, the most prolific scorers at this edition of the tournament with 15 goals so far, struck seven of those in the last 15 minutes of the first halves of their games, including stoppage time.

USA have scored five goals and Maya Hayes bagged four of them, the other being an own goal.

Germany v. Norway

This is the pair’s first showdown in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. In the finals of other FIFA competitions, they have played each other twice in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and twice in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament. The Germans have historically had the upper hand in the head-to-head series, notching three victories to Norway’s one, although that solitary Norwegian success came in the final of the 1995 global showpiece in Sweden.

The sides have also met in two European finals at U-19 level, with Germany prevailing 3-2 in the 2000/01 edition and cantering to an 8-1 win in the 2010/11 campaign.

As well as having matched USA’s record of ten straight victories in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Germany have also kept four consecutive clean sheets, equalling the tournament record set by USA between 2006 and 2008 and China PR in 2006. Since Korea Republic’s Ji So Yun breached their defences in the 2010 edition, the Germans have gone 386 minutes without conceding a goal, a run bettered only by China (508 minutes) and USA (467).

Norway have reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time, whereas Germany have made it into the last eight it in all six editions held to date (as have USA).

German tactician Maren Meinert is overseeing her 20th match at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, setting a new tournament record for the most matches as coach.

Firstly – today’s games…
Group C
Miyagi 19.00 – Norway v Argentina
Saitama 19.00 – Canada v DRP Korea

NORWAY v. ARGENTINA
Norway have not kept a clean sheet in five matches played in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Argentina shipped 15 goals in their first two games of this campaign. The tournament record for the most porous defence in the opening round is held by Thailand, who let in 18 at the 2004 finals.

CANADA v. DPR KOREA
North Korea scored 13 goals in their opening two games. The most goals netted by one team in the first round of the event is 15, a record set by USA in 2002 and equalled by Germany in 2006.
Heading into the last matchday, Canada are one of two teams that boast the most goalscorers, the other being Japan. Five Canadians hit the target in the first two matches.

Group D
Miyagi 16.00 – USA v Germany
Saitama 16.00 – China v Ghana

USA v. GERMANY
This is the most-played fixture in the history of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. This will be the fifth meeting between the two sides in the competition, and the first time they have crossed paths at the group stage. USA have the superior head-to-head record with three wins to Germany’s one.
Germany are the only team yet to concede a goal in the first round of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2012. In past campaigns, only Brazil and Korea DPR in 2006 managed to keep clean sheets in all of their first-round matches.

CHINA PR v. GHANA
This is the third time that China have faced African opposition in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. On both previous occasions, each time against Nigeria, the Asian side prevailed without conceding a goal, winning 1-0 in 2004 and 3-0 in 2006.
Ghana are one of two teams that are yet to find the net in this edition, the other being Argentina. Before 2012, the only teams to have failed to score a goal in the three opening-round matches were Thailand in 2004 and Switzerland in 2010.

Yesterday’s Highlights

Japan 4-0 Switzerland highlights here http://www.jsoccer.com/blog/?p=2469

Mexico and Japan each achieved their biggest winning margin in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with 4-0 victories over New Zealand and Switzerland respectively.

Nigeria’s Francisca Ordega is the second African player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup match, after her compatriot Maureen Eke struck three times against Finland in 2006.

Korea and Mexico have both reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the second edition in a row. Japan return to the last eight after a four-year absence, having been eliminated at the first stage of the 2010 edition, while Brazil have failed to progress to the knockout phase for the second successive campaign.

Switzerland have now lost nine games out of nine in three participations at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. – Mexico’s Sofia Huerta and Japan’s Yoko Tanaka scored in each of their respective team’s three group-stage matches.

Yoko Tanaka comes of age, perhaps – the next big Nadeshiko star, who rides her bicycle to work in Kobe (I know I’ve seen her!). How much longer will she be able to do that? If you just want the Young Nadeshiko highlights/goals, get in from about 1m 30s onwards…